


433°

by Tartha



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-19
Updated: 2017-09-19
Packaged: 2018-12-31 17:42:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12137730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tartha/pseuds/Tartha
Summary: Why Mycroft always wears pajamas.*Post Season 4





	433°

.

 

...

 

Mycroft, unlike his ridiculous younger brother, did not sleep in the nude. Ever. _One can always make time to pull on sleepwear._

He'd been criticized for it before: abnormal behavior in an adult, surely. Possibly a strange prudish instinct, an external indicator of self-loathing, a fear of inadequacy, or the indication of a secret government run by lizards... Sherlock was nothing if not thorough in his expression of the common man's paranoia.

The reason, actually, was incredibly simple:

 

**00:30 Fire Ignites**

Most people do not understand how quickly fire can spread through a building. There seems to be a strange mass-misconception that there is _time_ to escape from a fire.

 

**01:04 Fire Begins to Spread - Smoke Fills The Room**

There also seems to be casual disregard for the amount of damage a fire does even without the complete devastation of flames. If left in a room filled with smoke, it takes between 5 and 10 minutes to cause an adult permanent brain damage--simply from lack of air. This is not taking into account the heat of the smoke, or the chemicals which arise in a common house fire.

 

**1:35 Temperature Exceeds 190° Fahrenheit (87.7° Celsius) & the Smoke Layer Descends Rapidly**

Human skin begins to burn at 44° Celsius (112° Fahrenheit). Anything above 80° Celsius (176° Fahrenheit) can cause burns in less than a second.

 

**1:50 The Smoke Detector Goes Off**

Smoke detectors didn't become commonplace until 1980. Most detectors have to be replaced every ten years. Mycroft pays attention to these kinds of details.

 

**2:30 Central Furniture from the Room of Origin Reach Over 400° Fahrenheit (204.4° Celsius)**

A good 24° too high to bake a cake. Too hot by far.

 

**3:20 Escape Becomes Unlikely**

In a house with multiple levels, this is where the smoke begins to flood the upstairs.

 

**3:41 Flashover Occurs**

"Flashover" is really an innocuous term for something which belongs in the realm of nightmares. It's the point where everything in a room, simultaneously, bursts into flames. Even in full protective gear--gear made specifically to withstand fires--a person is unlikely to survive. Temperatures spike to over 538° Celsius (1000° Fahrenheit). The most common herald of this destruction is a dense, black, smoke which curls in sickeningly tight waves.

 

**3:50 Escape By Any Means**

It is at this point that a trapped individual will be forced to vacate by any means within their power: jumping from windows being the most common (and often deadly) choice.

 

**4:33 Flames Are Visible From Outside the House**

Rescue is--very probably--impossible at this stage. It is also, unfortunately, the moment where concerned citizens run in to their death ( _caring is not an advantage_ ). It is also, unfortunately, the moment that emergency services are most commonly contacted.

 

...

 

There _is_ no time to bother with clothing.

 

For Mycroft, who detests being unprepared, and who cannot abide physical discomfort; "pajamas" are a necessity.

 

.

 

...


End file.
